Otero Junior College’s guest lecturer series will host “Inside Kenya” presented by Barbara Ingles and Debbie Elliott. They were participants in a “Learning Tour” to Kenya, Africa, sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee’s thrift store Ten Thousand Villages. Ingles and Elliott will be sharing their experiences in a series of lectures on the OJC campus on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

Ingles and Elliott will present lectures to two OJC courses in the morning session. They will talk about the education system, health care and agriculture with T. Shawn McGrath’s Biology class at 8 a.m. and discuss the business and legal issues of the region with Samme Ormiston’s Legal Environment of Business class at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14. “Kenya has this fascinating system of setting up an individual business,” stated Barb Ingles. “Business owners purchase bales of goods that they then use to establish their own business in one of the market places throughout Kenya.” Kenya does not have resources to manufacture products like clothing and household goods. Kenyans must rely on marketable items imported from other regions or countries.

Ingles and Elliott will present a complete lecture of their “Learning Tour” at 1 p.m. in Humanities Center Room 113. They will present a slide show of their tour and talk about the major components: education, business, agriculture, health care and World Fair Trade. “It was a perfect opportunity to travel to Kenya and see firsthand what our (Ten Thousand Villages) thrift donation money supports,” said Debbie Elliott, “This experience was one of a lifetime and upon returning part of our responsibility was to share the story of what we experienced to those in our community.” The lecture is free and open to all; OJC students, staff and faculty and all members of the community.

Debbie Elliot, a native of Minnesota, moved to Colorado in 1978. Elliott is a lab technician at the Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center and has been volunteering at CrossRoads MarketPlace over six years. “CrossRoads has been a very fulfilling place to work. It is a combination World Fair Trade Store as well as a Mennonite Central Committee Thrift store.” Elliott explained, “Each month, money from the thrift store is donated to the Mennonite Central Committee. They in turn use the money to work on projects all over the word for those in need.” Elliott traveled to Haiti in 2011 and that experience helped prepare her for what life in a third world country would be like.

Elliott is the mother of two grown children and a grandmother to Madison. Elliott likes to spend her time working at lab, volunteering, being a grandmother, scrapbooking, gardening and traveling whenever possible.

Page 2 of 2 - Barbara Ingles, a native of Michigan, moved to Colorado in 1976 to begin a long career in education. In 2005 Ingles retired from teaching fourth grade at La Junta Schools. Ingles was looking forward to kicking back, relaxing, gardening and volunteering at CrossRoads MarketPlace when the opportunity to become assistant manager presented itself Barb accepted. “I took the job and that was the beginning of an incredible experience,” said Ingles. “I work with about 50 volunteers who are a bundle of positive energy.”

“The Learning Tour was a perfect opportunity to travel to Kenya and to see and know the difference that donations to thrift can make around the world was astonishing.” Ingles explained, “I had never been to a third world country so I was a little uncertain of what to expect. This experience was a chance for me to leave my footprints in Africa and to better understand a different part of the world. We told the people we met in Kenya that we would go back and tell their story.”

Ingles and her husband have one daughter, Hannah, who is a teacher. Ingles, an artist and photographer, will exhibit pictures taken in Kenya in the Humanities Center lobby Wednesday Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition there will be an exhibit of items Elliott and Ingles brought back from their Learning Tour.

The community is invited to participate in the events on the OJC campus. The lecture at 1 p.m. in Humanities Center Room 113 and the Inside Kenya exhibit available Wednesday Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Humanities Center Lobby. A meet and greet reception for the lecturers Debbie Elliott and Barbara Ingles will be hosted by OJC from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the Humanities Center lobby. All of these events are open to the public and free. For more information call Debbie Phillips, OJC Coordinator of Campus and Community events at 384-6863.